National Monument · Washington

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

The volcano that blew its top in 1980

TypeNational Monument
StateWashington
Best seasonSummer & early fall
Don’t missThe crater from Johnston Ridge

The still-recovering blast zone of the 1980 eruption that erased 1,300 feet of mountain in minutes — a gaping crater, a steaming lava dome, and a landscape relearning how to live. Johnston Ridge stares straight into the crater.

What to see

  • Johnston Ridge Observatory
  • The crater & lava dome
  • Ape Cave lava tube
  • Spirit Lake
  • Harmony Trail

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